


Modern Art

by kumjongin



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bad Jokes, Humor, M/M, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-02
Updated: 2018-02-02
Packaged: 2019-03-12 16:20:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13551051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kumjongin/pseuds/kumjongin
Summary: In which Jongin meets a stranger in an art gallery who's just as confused about modern art as he is.





	Modern Art

**Author's Note:**

> #8013

Splotches of color danced on a white canvas, dots and smears of purple and red forming something that left Jongin frowning. His head tilted, lips pressed together in thought. “So...what is this?” he asked, blinking dazedly at Sehun. His best friend had asked him to take a look at his latest painting for his art blog, wanting his thoughts since he claimed he wanted the opinion of someone who didn’t know anything about art.

Sehun snorted, shaking his head as he pressed his lips together in a thin line. “You don’t get it. I’m not surprised,” he said dryly, adjusting the glasses on his nose.

He didn’t actually need them, he just wore them every now and again because he thought they went with his look. Which Jongin couldn’t argue with, even if he didn’t always understand him. They’d been friends since they were hired at their agency together a couple of years prior, the brand new agents in training for the publication business. “It looks like a four year old drank juice and then dribbled all over a canvas,” he said with a shrug.

“Plebeian. My followers love it. Come with me to an exhibition tonight, maybe exposure will help your mainstream mind,” he flicked Jongin on the head. 

Jongin smiled. “Whatever. Sure, I don’t have any better offers tonight,” he agreed. Sehun’s words were often harsh to the uninitiated ear, but Jongin was used to his way of teasing.

“Like you ever do, loser.”

—

Jongin walked into the gallery feeling just as lost as he did anytime he looked at Sehun’s art blog, or was asked for an opinion on his latest piece of art purchased. The room was scattered with people, ranging from the pierced and dyed to the uptight and buttoned up. But all of them shared a certain air of pretension that made him cringe.

He plucked a glass of wine from a passing tray, sipping it before Sehun was dragging him off to admire one of the paintings or sculptures that didn’t make any sense. Jongin frowned his way through some of them, and listening to Sehun rattle about what they meant. Supposedly. He didn’t see it.

He was on his second glass of wine as they stood in front of a large painting that had attracted a small gathering. To Jongin, it just looked like smears of paint, but others talked about how ‘meaningful’ or ‘profound’ it was.

“That is  _ definitely  _ a penis,” came the thoughtful sounding words from the person to his left, a tall guy whose arms were crossed over his chest, nodding at the painting.

Jongin burst into laughter, and the stranger joined in. It was only after Jongin had begun to settle his amusement that he noticed they seemed to be the only ones amused at the comment, with the rest of the crowd staring or glaring at them. Sehun rolled his eyes, muttering something about immaturity.

“Definitely a great big hard dick,” Jongin agreed, frowning as though he was deep in thought about the painting.

There was another laugh from the stranger, a deep loud laugh. “I’m glad there’s  _ someone _ here who understands and appreciates fine art,” he said, offering a wide, uninhibited smile.

It was a beautiful smile, and Jongin was caught a little off-guard. But he smiled back, “There’s a few of us. What about this one?” he asked, gesturing toward a painting hanging nearby.

“Hm...call me dirty, but I see another penis,” he said, tone still thoughtful as though carefully considering the art before him.

Jongin couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of him again, and he bumped his shoulder. “Really? I was getting more Satan licking someone’s asshole vibes.”

The stranger laughed, clapping his hands together in a way that drew another round of glares. But Jongin couldn’t help but notice the way his whole face lit up when he laughed. “Oh, man, so nice to meet another great art critic around here. I’m Chanyeol, by the way, people like us should stick together.”

“Oh, is that so? I admit, someone as discerning as you being here makes this event a whole lot better. I’m Jongin,” he introduced.

The two of them walked around the gallery, taking in the different modern art and giving faux-thoughtful responses to what they could mean. Mostly they just laughed, and shrugged off the dirty looks they got from the rest of the patrons. Jongin caught Sehun glaring at him from time to time, but there was also a wry look of amusement when he gazed at the two of them. 

“Hey, Jongin...would you want to get a coffee with me?” Chanyeol asked as Jongin began putting on his jacket to leave.

“Now?”

“I mean...unless you’re busy, yeah?” There was a sheepish look to Chanyeol’s grin.

Jongin smiled, “I think I can spare a few minutes.”

—

The two of them settled into a booth at a nearby coffee shop, with Sehun having only wiggled his brows and a quick, “get some,” when Jongin told him Chanyeol had asked him out. Jongin’s fingers wrapped around the warm cup, and he glanced at Chanyeol a little shyly. “So...what do you do? Aside from critique art brilliantly, of course.”

Chanyeol’s lips twitched in amusement, “Well, a critic just doesn’t make enough to live on these days. So I work in a law office during the day. And you?”

“Smarter than you look,” Jongin teased.

“ _ Ouch _ ,” Chanyeol raised a hand to his chest in mock pain.

Jongin laughed. “I’m a book agent,” he said, shrugging a shoulder.

They went through rounds of small talk, and Jongin found out that Chanyeol had only lived in the city for a few months, that he had been dragged to the gallery by a friend named Yixing who had disappeared almost as soon as they’d arrived, and that he had a love for 1980s punk. Jongin told him about Sehun, about having grown up in the city with parents who suddenly moved to Australia three years ago, and his two poodles. It was easy, and Jongin couldn’t tell how much time passed as they spoke, only that Chanyeol kept making him laugh and he wanted to keep the conversation going.

It was only when the barista behind the counter announced in a bored tone that they were closing in fifteen minutes that they even acknowledged the time. They’d been talking almost two hours, about everything and nothing. Somehow it was just easy.

As they got ready to leave, Chanyeol rolled up his sleeves to his elbow, and Jongin’s gaze settled on the ink dancing over his skin. “Oh, I didn’t know you had tattoos. Any giant penis ones?” he asked, grinning.

“Maybe you’ll get the chance to find out and see,” he teased back, brow raising a little.

—

Chanyeol walked Jongin to the train station even though he had to walk to a different one. “You didn’t have to walk me, you know. I’m tougher than I look,” Jongin said.

“Maybe I just wanted to spend more time with you,” Chanyeol said, taking a step closer to him.

Jongin smiled a little. “Oh yeah? Are you saying you want to see me again?”

“If you want to see me, then yeah. We can visit another gallery and annoy the art snobs.”

“Are you going to kiss me?”

There was a brief flash of a smile that crossed Chanyeol’s expression before strong arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him close. Jongin lightly licked his lips, teeth grazing over his bottom lip as Chanyeol watched him closely. He leaned in, and Chanyeol pressed his lips against Jongin’s. It was a soft kiss, and Jongin’s skin tingled where Chanyeol touched him. They leaned into kiss after kiss, Jongin’s arms winding around Chanyeol’s neck. When Chanyeol’s tongue swiped against his lips, Jongin parted his lips with a soft sigh, and Chanyeol’s tongue snaked inside his mouth.

He wasn’t sure how long they kissed, but it felt both like it had only been a few seconds, and like it had gone on for dozens of minutes. Jongin pulled away with a hint of a smile, “I should...probably get going…” he said, though his arms were still wound around Chanyeol’s neck, still not wanting to really let him go.

Chanyeol leaned in and pressed another quick, soft kiss to his lips. “You have my number now. You’d better use it, I don’t want this to be the last kiss we share.”

Jongin laughed quietly and leaned in and pressed one last kiss to Chanyeol’s lips, promising that he’d text him before he had to run to catch the train.

—

The next day at work, Sehun fixed Jongin with a pointed stare until Jongin glanced up from his computer. “What’s that look for?” he asked. He’d texted Sehun briefly after he’d gotten home, but their messages were brief.

Sehun shrugged a shoulder. “What happened with the artwork as a penis guy?” he questioned, eyes narrowing a little as he stared at him.

Sometimes Sehun would fixate him with sharp glances that tended to make most people uncomfortable when they were on the wrong side of them. Jongin was used to it, but even he would sometimes tend to squirm. “His name is Chanyeol,” he reminded him, tapping a pen against the desk. He could still recall the feeling of Chanyeol’s lips against his, and the sound of his laugh. They’d sent a few messages back and forth, where Chanyeol overused emojis and said he couldn’t wait to see him.

Sehun rolled his eyes, “Whatever. Fine, what happened with  _ Chanyeol _ .”

Jongin smiled a little. “We went out for coffee, and we talked. That’s about it.”

“That’s all? Any steamy kisses? Did you suck his dick?”

Jongin tossed the pen at him with a laugh, “ _ Shut up _ . No, I didn’t suck his dick. We kissed…”

“How tame. Do you like the mainstream boy?” he asked, undeterred. 

“I...I don’t know, it was just the one time we hung out,” he argued, even though he could feel a heat rising to his cheeks in embarrassment.

Sehun laughed, and made fun of him for the rest of the day. But that wasn’t anything new.

—

Jongin stood with his hands in his pockets, glancing around the street for signs of a tall, handsome guy with fluffy hair to come his way. It was a week after their first meeting, and Jongin had butterflies in his stomach. They’d agreed to meet up, outside of a cafe, but Chanyeol hadn’t told him what they’d planned to do.

After ten more minutes, as Jongin was glancing down at his phone, there was a sudden, “Hi,” next to him.

Jongin started, looking into the grinning face of Chanyeol. “Jeez, you scared the shit out of me,” he complained, shoving the phone in his pocket.

Chanyeol laughed, the sound loud and deep. The same sensation of chills swept over him at the sound. “Sorry. I hope you don’t mean that literally, that might be pretty gross,” he teased.

Jongin rolled his eyes. “Don’t be weird. What are we doing?”

“Well, since we have a great history of critiquing art, I figured we might revisit that. Do what we’re best at for a while, and then maybe get some dessert?” Chanyeol asked, reaching out to take Jongin’s hand.

He glanced, and reached out to lace their fingers together. Chanyeol’s hand was warm and inviting. “You’re such a dork,” he said. Over the past week they’d sent texts to one another, sometimes just a simple ‘hi’ or ‘how are you,’ and other times they’d send messages for hours talking about their days, or their dreams, or something they wanted to maybe do later on.

“You like me even if I am a dork, right?” he asked, bumping him lightly with his shoulder.

Jongin couldn’t help the twitch of a smile on his lips, “I do.”

They walked into the gallery with their heads held high, and a bet in place. The first one to crack up would buy dessert. They plucked up their glasses of champagne, and headed toward a canvas. Jongin frowned, considering the sharp geometric lines that didn’t seem to form much of anything. 

“Wow, this is profound. Can you see the way the lines come together to represent money? This is a piece...that’s about the dangers of consumerism,” Chanyeol said, his voice thoughtful as he frowned at the painting.

A few of the other attendees nodded in consideration, as though they were taking Chanyeol’s fake assessment to heart as though it might tell them something. Jongin was pretty sure that everyone who looked at modern, abstract art was just faking their understanding to seem more complex than they were.

Jongin’s lips twitched. “Looks like spaghetti,” he said.

Chanyeol’s jaw clenched, and a smile spread, but he remained quiet. Jongin earned a few dirty looks for that one, but they moved on to the next piece. This one was a swirl of different primary colors of paint, forming almost a spiral together.

“Ah, look at this. A whirlpool to indicate the spiral of death,” Jongin pronounced, earning him some quizzical stares. Almost as though they weren’t sure if he was just being facetious or if he was genuine.

Chanyeol swatted him on the hip playfully. “I think...it’s definitely a penis, right?”

Although it was the same words that Chanyeol had said at the first gallery, Jongin couldn’t stop himself from laugh that burst out of him. “What is your obsession with dicks?” he asked, still fighting back his laughter.

The crowds around the gallery shot them dirty looks, but Chanyeol grinned triumphantly. “I didn’t think it would be quite this easy,” he said.

“Shut up, the word penis tends to make me laugh a lot, that’s all,” he protested.

Chanyeol leaned in and pressed a kiss to Jongin’s cheek, “I like it when you laugh.”

They spent a little while longer in the gallery, looking at paintings that they made joking guesses about - a porcupine, the tree of life, a Christmas ornament, a fallen over ferris wheel. They traded laughs and Chanyeol wrapped his arms around Jongin’s waist. The butterflies in his stomach fluttered and his palms got a little sweaty.

When they left, Chanyeol took hold of Jongin’s hand again. “So? What are you in the mood for? I guess you should be asking me that, since you’re paying and all,” he teased, that wide smile on his face again. 

“Well...forgive me if this is a little forward, but what would you say to having dessert...back at my place?” Jongin asked, nibbling his bottom lip a little.

Chanyeol’s brow lifted a bit, “oh? And will this be...just dessert?”

Jongin smiled and leaned in to press a light kiss to Chanyeol’s lips. “I hope you don’t think badly of me if I say I really want you to fuck me,” he said, voice a near whisper.

Chanyeol’s arms wrapped around him, pulling him closer, “Not at all. I wanted to fuck you since our first date.”

“Is that what that was?”

—

The actual thoughts of dessert were quickly forgotten, instead they jumped a cab to Jongin’s apartment building. Chanyeol pulled Jongin into a rough kiss as soon as they stepped past the threshold, and there was a faint smile on Jongin’s lips before he returned it. His arms wrapped around Chanyeol’s neck, pulling him in to press their bodies close together. 

Chanyeol’s hands skimmed over Jongin’s back, cupping his ass as they lost themselves in kiss after kiss. Jongin moaned softly into his mouth, licking his way into Chanyeol’s mouth. Suddenly, Jongin felt himself being lifted, strong arms wrapping around his body. And Jongin wrapped his legs around him, holding onto him tightly. 

“Which way to the bedroom?” he pulled away to ask, voice raspy and a little breathless.

Jongin smiled a little. “End of the hallway.”

Chanyeol carried him into the bedroom as they continued to kiss. Jongin groaned quietly, clinging to Chanyeol as tightly as he could. It was only when they reached the bed that Chanyeol’s grip loosened, and he let him drop onto the bed beneath him. Jongin let out a quiet laugh, and they began to shed the clothes they’d been too impatient to remove earlier. 

When they lay in bed naked, Jongin kissed his way along Chanyeol’s body, letting his lips linger over the tattoos that adorned his arms, licking over his rosy nipples and kissing over his toned stomach. Chanyeol sighed quietly, hand resting in Jongin’s hair as he dropped lower and lower.

Jongin let his fingers grace Chanyeol’s length, beginning to pump slowly as he kissed along his hip bones and thighs. Without warning, Jongin let Chanyeol’s cock slip into his mouth, taking his length in all at once. Chanyeol swore, fingers tightening in his hair. Jongin let his tongue lave over the underside of his cock and up to swirl around the head. He pressed a soft kiss to the tip, causing Chanyeol to squirm a little underneath him, before he took him in again in another swift motion. 

Jongin sucked hard, with Chanyeol’s fingers raking and pulling through his hair as Jongin worked his way along his cock. He glanced upward at Chanyeol, with his head tilted back and adam’s apple bobbing with his hard swallowing. Jongin’s cheeks hollowed around his cock, fingers digging into his hips as he moved along his length.

Chanyeol gasped quietly, and swore again, “Jongin, stop…” he said, voice hardly more than a whisper.

Jongin pulled back with a loud pop sound, “Did I do something wrong?” he asked.

“No, no, you’re perfect. I just want to make it last and be able to fuck you properly,” he said with a smile, fingers gently running through his hair now.

Jongin kissed his hip softly. With a brief few moments of shuffling, Jongin ended up on his back, with his fingers slicked up with lube and inside himself, stretching himself open as Chanyeol watched.

“God, you’re so beautiful,” Chanyeol said in barely a whisper, watching as Jongin twisted three fingers inside of himself.

A faint smile graced his features. “Then come here and fuck me,” he said, slipping his fingers out of himself. 

Chanyeol grabbed the bottle of lube and the condom, readying himself before he moved to rest between Jongin’s thighs. He pressed soft kisses to his lips, and Jongin wrapped his legs around Chanyeol’s hips, arms twining around his neck. Chanyeol lined himself up with Jongin’s entrance, and slowly began to push inside of him.

Jongin bit his lip at the intrusion, breathing deeply as Chanyeol filled him with his thick cock. He didn’t stop until he’d bottomed out, and Jongin’s jaw clenched as he adjusted to the stretch. “You feel good,” he said quietly, kissing Chanyeol.

He pressed kisses to Jongin’s lips over and over again, distracting him with hands running over his body. But it wasn’t long before Chanyeol pulled back and began to slowly thrust into him, giving him a chance to adjust to the sensations. Jongin moaned, and his legs tightened around his hips.

They were wrapped tightly around each other, and Chanyeol set up a slow pace of rocking into him. Jongin let out quiet sounds and gasps, and his hands began to roam down Chanyeol’s muscular back. Chanyeol groaned deeply as his his hips snapped into Jongin at a harsher pace.

Jongin moaned a little louder, and he pushed against Chanyeol’s thrusts, wanting him deeper inside of him with every thrust. “Fuck me harder,” Jongin gasped out, fingers clenching into his back.

Chanyeol raised to rest on his elbows and began to fuck Jongin harder, his hips snapping into him in sharp thrusts that were a bit erratic, but still managed to brush against Jongin’s sweet spot with every movement inside of him. The air around them was filled with the sounds of their moans and sharp intakes of breath, and the sound of Chanyeol’s balls slapping against Jongin’s ass.

Jongin reached between their bodies, fingers wrapping around his cock and began to pump himself slowly. The dual sensations drove him closer and closer to the edge, and he felt Chanyeol still a bit inside of him, eyes clenching shut as he came. Jongin kissed him through it, and it wasn’t long before he could feel the rippling sensations of pleasure envelop him. His fingers continued to pump his cock through the sensations, biting down on his bottom lip as he came, the release spilling over his hand and between their bodies.

They lay gasping for air for minutes after they came down from their high, and they kissed each other softly as they began to come back out of their daze. Chanyeol cleaned him up in a comfortable silence, and it wasn’t long before they were laying naked in the bed together, limbs entangled. “You...are amazing,” Chanyeol said quietly.

—

They stood at another gallery opening, staring at a sculpture made of what appeared to be wooden skewers and tin foil. Sehun called him mainstream, and said that it was much more than that. But Jongin had yet to see it. 

“This looks like my 6th grade bridge project,” Chanyeol said with a frown.

Sehun rolled his eyes, “You two are meant for each other,” he said and turned to walk away toward people who weren’t as utterly clueless as they were. His words were as much of an approval of Chanyeol as he was likely to get.

Jongin laughed and turned to kiss Chanyeol softly, “You know, I think you belong in a gallery.”

Chanyeol laughed, “Ah,and if you were to tell me what’s my meaning? What do I convey to you?”

“Hm, if I were to analyze you...I’d say you represent my boyfriend?”

“I think that’s my favorite so far.”

**Author's Note:**

> unedited. Sehun as a hipster art thot is my Aesthetic
> 
> [twitter](http://twitter.com/kumjongin). [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/kumjongin).


End file.
